Blush

Photo courtesy of Sandra Bianco Photography

West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle was in the headlines this week for announcing that he had named his new baby daughter Blush.

The reason this has caused such a stir is two fold. Firstly, there is the name itself. As with almost any time someone in the public eye dares to use a name not deemed "normal" there are plenty of people declaring it to be wrong. They say things like "that's not a name!", "surely that's not right!" and the inevitable "is this a joke?".

Except in this case the context of this particular person naming his baby Blush gives people extra cause to wonder if it is a joke. Which brings us to the second reason it has caused such a stir. In January this year Gayle caused controversy for his sexism towards a female sports reporter. He had been flirting with her in a post game interview and made the comment "don't blush, baby" as she tried to ignore his unwanted flirtations. He tried to brush it off as being a joke, but was fined for his unprofessional conduct.

Reportedly this name is also a joke though, and his child is instead a boy (not named Blush). Which would mean that while Gayle may think that his tweets of "We would like to welcome the arrival of our beautiful daughter 'Blush'" and "Thank you all for the sweet and kind messages. Blush won't Blush, my baby" are funny, he has sadly learned very little from the whole incident. Which makes sense as "don't blush, baby" has basically become his signature catchphrase.

The overpoweringly negative reaction to the name Blush is interesting though. Let's take a step back for a minute. If someone had actually named their daughter Blush, and didn't have the background with the word that Gayle does, is it really that bad as a name?

I saw a discussion about the story on morning TV where one person used the extreme insult of "It's akin to child abuse" (I hate it when people use that phrase as an argument against a particular name. Seriously, a ridiculous - in your opinion - name does not automatically equal abuse. Such statements just trivialise the very serious subject of child abuse. But that's a discussion for another place and time).

The more considered argument I heard against naming your baby Blush was that as it's a word commonly associated with shy, young, awkward girls it would be belittling to give a female this name. Furthermore, it would be hard for an adult woman to be taken seriously with a name for an involuntary physical reaction, especially within a professional environment.

Which I understand and agree with. And is why I feel kinda bad for saying that I think Blush would actually be quite pretty as a name. It has a sweetly romantic feel, and makes me think of other soft pink flowery names like Bloom, Blossom or Posey. I could totally see it as a possible name should Jules and Jamie Oliver's next child be a girl.

But I think this is one that is best left for a surprising and demure middle name. And listening to the general reaction when Gayle announced the name (be it the real name or not), it's safe to say that most people would also prefer not to see Blush as a first name.

Shiseido

These days, the lines between given names and brand names are growing ever more blurry. You don't have to look far to see some of the reasons why. For one, plenty of brands names are actually based on the name of the owner or inventor, or for some other reason are derived from already established given names. Think Armani, Wendys, Estee Lauder, Barbie or Reeses, just to name a few. And now that last names as first names have become increasingly popular the scope has widened even further. Then there are brand names that are based on words, particularly from nature or places. Milo, Lynx and Apple may not be common on the playground, but they're not completely unheard of. Yet to some they are just brands of hot drinks, men's deodorant and electronic products.

Then there is a slightly different breed of brand-names-come-baby-names. Those names that are specifically invented as a brand name, and have no origins or use as a given name until after the brand was invented.

That's not to say that these are unusable as names exactly. When you think about it, it's understandable why we would feel attracted to a word we hear every day, especially a word that represents something we admire, respect or aspire to. For example, Lexus brand cars were first introduced to the US in 1989, and the name Lexus subsequently debuted on the U.S SSA charts in 1990 for both girls and boys. Lexus is a name invented by parent company Toyota, loosely meaning "luxury edition cars for the US". You may not be able to afford one of these luxury cars, but that doesn't mean you can't add some of their sophistication and style to your household. In theory.

Shiseido is a name that falls into this latter category.

Shiseido was specifically created for the Shiseido brand. According to the Shiseido website:

"the name Shiseido was taken from a passage in I Ching, the classic Chinese Book of Changes, as it suggests some of the most ancient human wisdom still relevant today.

The last four characters of the Japanese translation (Ban Batsu Shi Sei) means, "Praise the value of the great Earth, which nurtures new life and brings forth new values".

These few syllables encapsulate the philosophy of Shiseido as a company, as a brand, as a citizen of the world".

It's an exotic sounding word with the currently cool "O" ending and quite a beautiful meaning. Plus it has the benefit of associations with youth, beauty and style. Yet it's a name that not many children bear - Shiseido has never appeared in the American charts, possibly because it may be a little hard to wear. Using it as a name would almost overwhelmingly make people think of the brand, so it could be considered a brave and distinctive choice for a daughter. 

Personally, I think that Shiseido falls into a similar category as the name Khaleesi. Both were invented to convey a concept, and weren't originally intended to be used as a given name. Yet both have a cool, lyrical sound; a romantic fantasy-like feel; and possibly represent something empowering to some people. They may even be quite well matched for a pair of sisters. 

Would I use them myself? No. But I can understand why some people would find them attractive and appealing enough to use.

I can't help but feel that the debate around the suitability of invented and brand names as given names is one that we will only see a lot more of in the future. Names are "invented" all the time, often just for their sound. They're not really that much different to those invented for a brand. At least Shiseido was invented to mean something, and something beautiful at that. What do you think - does Shiseido have potential as a name, or not?

Odette

Photo courtesy of Merrifield Phototgraphy

"On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me, seven swans-a-swimming"

As much as I love the idea of Swan as a name, I thought I'd take a detour from the bird names on this one. So instead I have for you a name that many people immediately associate with a white swan.

Odette is the main character in the Tchiachovsky ballet 'Swan Lake'. She is a princess who was turned into a white swan by an evil sorcerer, doomed to remain a swan during the day and only return to human form at night. Only true love can save this Swan Queen and her followers (fellow humans afflicted with the same curse), but the path to true love proves rocky and ultimately both she and her suitor die so they can be together eternally.

Pronounced oh-DEHT, Odette has French and Old German origins and means wealthy. She was quite popular in France in the 1900's to 1930's, which is why many famous Odettes are French. It's much rarer to see it used these days, both in France and the U.S, but it still retains that feeling of French chic and mystique.

For better or worse, it also seems that the name Odette is inextricably linked to swans. The 1994 animated movie 'The Swan Princess' (based on 'Swan Lake') and it's several sequels also used Odette as the name of the main princess character. She also has literary connections as Odette de Crecy, the wife of Charles Swann in Proust's 'A la Recherche du Temps Perdu'.

This association has had quite an influence on people's impression of the name Odette. Many people describe the name Odette as romantic, strong, graceful, peaceful, beautiful, elegant and feminine.

However Odette doesn't strike all people this way, mainly because of its' sound. It reminds some people of dead or death, some of odour, some of the dog Odie from the 'Garfield' comics, odd, the term OD (for overdose), the word debt, or owe debt, or even old debt, and all are possible sources of teasing. And others will say they just don't see the appeal, that it seems aged.

I tend to think of Odette as a prettily timeless name though. If you're of a similar mind and aren't deterred by the several possible sound associations, you will find that an Odette would also receive plenty of compliments on their name. And if you feel Odette might be a bit on the "fancy" side for a cheeky little girl to wear, a cute and spunky nickname is a possibility. Detty, Dottie, Ettie, Etta are all fun options. Or maybe you could even call her your little swan.

Vienna

With the current popularity of place names, it's somewhat surprising that this gem hasn't yet made a mark upon the American top 1000. Vienna (pronounced vee-EN-ah) originates from Latin, although it's meaning is often disputed. I've seen theories that it means 'chosen one', 'white', 'from wine country' or 'forest stream', but the one thing that is not disputed is that it comes from the city of Vienna in Austria.

The city of Vienna is the capital of Austria. It has an extremely rich history, and it's thought that the site was first settled by the Celts in 500BC. Vienna has a reputation as the "City of Music" due to it's rich history in theatre, opera, classical music and the arts. Not only is it the birth place of some musical notables such as Schubert and Strauss, but others such as Mozart, Brahms and Beethoven also spent time working in Vienna. Psychologist Sigmund Freud is another Famous Austrian from Vienna, giving rise to the city's other pseudonym, the "City of Dreams".

Vienna is also a classically beautiful city. It features rich architecture, including Baroque castles and gardens, the Romanesque St Rupert's church and some of the best examples of Art Nouveau in the world. Adding to the romanticism of the city are it's extravagant balls (the dancing kind, not the bouncy kind), which can go all night.

With these images in mind, I would think that Vienna would be a romantic name to give to a girl. It's dreamy, classical and elegant, yet has sound that appeals to modern parents, if the popularity of sound-alike name Sienna is anything to go by.

Sienna has been a top 1000 name since 1995, peaking at #170 in 2007 in America. It also enjoys popularity in Australia, New Zealand, England Scotland, Norway and Canada. However, while Sienna has been a success, Vienna has been largely neglected. It looked like it might become a top 1000 contender when it shot from position #1668 in 2009 to #11103 in 2010, but it then stalled and in 2012 began to drop again.

So why the difference? Maybe because it reminds people of Vienna sausages. Or possibly it has something to do with the famous bearers of the name. Actress, model and fashion designer Sienna Miller was the darling of the fashion world a few years ago when it seemed you couldn't open a magazine without seeing pictures of her latest outing. By contrast, 'The Bachelor' contestant and winner Vienna Girardi was a woman hated almost universally by viewers when her season was on the air. Coincidence? Maybe. But then again, you just need to look at the sudden spike in popularity of the name Tenley after contestant Tenley Molzhan was on the show (incidentally, the same season as Vienna) to see that the effect that 'The Bachelor' has on baby naming choices can be significant.

This was a couple of years ago now though, and since place names are going strong and V names are gaining more favour, people may once again turn to Vienna. Or maybe the French version Vienne - ranked only #9622 in 2012 in the US - will start to gain some traction. Both come with some mighty cute nicknames, such as Vie (which means 'life' in French when pronounced VEE), Nen, Nina, Nenna or Via.

Vienna is a pretty, romantic name indeed that deserves some more attention.

Vienna City Hall by Night

Clover

Looking for a subtler Valentines Day name than - well - Valentine? Then how about a sneaky love related name - Clover. In case this question has left you a little baffled (what does Clover have to do with Valentine's Day?), let me spell it out for you. C - L - O - V - E - R. Yes, Clover contains the words love and lover, making it a romantic but not soppy choice.

Clover is a name you might have been hearing a bit of buzz about lately. In 2012 it famously got some celebrity endorsement when Barry Watson and Natasha Gregson Wagner named their daughter Clover Clementyne. They were inspired by one of Natasha's mother's most iconic films, 'Inside Daisy Clover'. Neal McDonough has also used it for his daughter, and skater Tony Hawk used it as a middle name for his daughter Kadence Clover. 

Almost surprisingly, Clover has quite a history of use, appearing on the American charts for girls sporadically since 1897, and occasionally appearing for boys too. It has made the rare appearance in classic books too, such as Katy's younger sister in 'What Katy Did' by Susan Coolidge. However it has also appeared as an animals name in both George Orwells 'Animal Farm' (as a horse) and Richard Adams' 'Watership Down' (as a rabbit).

In fact, it does seem like it was not that long ago that the idea of Clover on a person would have seemed like a silly suggestion, feeling more like a name given to a pet than your daughter. But as quirky nature names have been rising in popularity, Clover now seems sweet, friendly and super cute. 

It's an English nature word meaning 'meadow flower', and seems a much more humble, earthy choice than exotic bloom names like Orchid, a far less popular one than Lily, and a fresher alternative to Rose or Daisy. Clover is also traditionally recognised as a symbol of luck, wealth and comfort. I like to think a girl would be delighted to be told that her name is associated with love and luck. 

Clover - definitely worth more than a second look. Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Thomas Sabo Clover Charm